With the end of Isaiah, the chronological reading list brings us back to II Kings and Hezekiah.
I'm not sure why the Blue Letter Bible would split up the stories of Hezekiah. To me, Isaiah is so long and his story covered so many rulers, it would make sense to keep all of one king together. Especially since, I think, this story is, itself, out of chronological order in Hezekiah's life and is what led to the Assyrians showing up at his gate...but I trust they have their reasons. So let's dive in.
Chapter 20
Verse 1 dives right into the story. Hezekiah is ill and Isaiah has told him to get his house in order, he is going to die. Hezekiah is the King of Judah, and one of the good ones. His instinct is always to go to God. And this passage is a perfect example of that. He immediately turns his head from Isaiah and goes straight to God.
A Ryrie Study Bible footnote states that the "In those days..." that begins verse 1 means when Sennacherib first began to attack Judah.
“Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him...
II Kings 20: 3-4
Some might read that "Hezekiah wept bitterly" and think God going to punish him for being rebellious or something similar; but they would be very wrong.
5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”
II Kings 20: 5-6
Our Lord knows us and loves us and doesn't punish those in the Bible who had feelings- even strong negative feelings. Even strong negative feelings about God's choices. What does stir up God's anger and judgement are the thoughts and actions we take because of those feelings. In this case, Hezekiah really didn't like what he learned, but he took his complaint to God with reverence. Praying for God to remember Hezekiah's previous action; but more importantly, Hezekiah's whole heart for the Lord. Over and over and over and over the Lord tells us the heart is what matters to Him; and Hezekiah could honestly say his heart had been for the Lord.
And because of that willingness to reach out to the Lord in faith,m even faith tinged in grief, the Lord made a provision for Hezekiah. The Lord asked one ceremonial action on Hezekiah's part and in return he would get 15 more years and victory over the Assyrians. That's the Lord we serve. Small acts of obedience as evidence of submission and in return- life and victory.
Amen.
In verse 7 Isaiah had someone lay fig cakes on his boil and he recovered. Now all I can think about is how good a fig cake probably tastes. 🙂 (I have food issues.)
7.28.24
Part of the Lord's response to Hezekiah was that he would be healed and on the third day, Hezekiah was to go to the house of the Lord. In verse 8, Hezekiah asks Isaiah what the sign will be regarding the Lord's healing- I think so he would know how to count the three days. Isaiah has an answer. Which is further evidence that God's not opposed to us asking for signs, as long as we aren't testing Him, but trying to stay in His will. Isaiah and Hezekiah work out a sign that a shadow that descends a famous staircase (made by Hezekiah's father) will ascend- breaking the laws of physics. More than a staircase, this was a sundial.
The MacArthur Bible Commentary states that this sundial is the first biblical mention of their marking or tracking time. That pretty interesting to think about-- no clocks, watches, or other time pieces.
Isaiah cries out to the Lord and the shadow ascends the staircase. (The Ryrie footnote cross-references II Chronicles 32:31 as evidence this was a localized miracle, not a worldwide miracle caused by something with the sun.)
So that was a lovely, wonderful, faith-inspiring story. And I am writing this paragraph to stretch out the warm fuzzy feeling before we have to examine the colossal failure that follows.
As I have mentioned previously, I get a little depressed that even the "good" kings make terrible choices sometimes, and Hezekiah is no different. However, rather than being depressed it's good to see it as evidence that we all fall short, even the heroes, this side of heaven. We are in exile and until Christ returns, we are all prone to falling on our face.
So, starting in verse 12, the King of Babylon send delegates to Hezekiah because he heard that Hezekiah was ill, and probably wanted an alliance against the Assyrians. He sent letters and presents with the delegation.
Hezekiah is taken in by this and decides to reciprocate by showing them all of his treasures. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
13 And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
II Kings 20:13
7.29.24
In a way, it can be viewed as a positive impression of Hezekiah that his heart was good and he couldn't imagine a downside to showing all of his treasure to the dignitaries of a conquering king.That's the only explanation. I get that it was also probably pride; but pride alone doesn't fully explain why he showed them every last thing in the realm. Or maybe it does, I'm not sure. Or maybe there was just a very clever and crafty person among the dignitaries that figured out how to push his buttons and keep him exposing himself.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, Be Distinct, attributes it to pride, and the same pride he states that we saw earlier with Hezekiah.
Whatever the explanation, God was not pleased. He sent Isaiah to Hezekiah. Starting in verse 14 Isaiah asks about the envoy. Isaiah explains that they are from a far place, Babylon. Isaiah asks what they've seen and Hezekiah tells him. Everything, they've seen everything.
Now Isaiah has a message from the Lord. There is a day coming when everything you showed them is going to be carried off to Babylon. "Nothing shall be left, says the Lord." This include some sons to come from his line (Daniel).
I'm confused by Hezekiah's response. He calls the word of the Lord good; which is an amazing response and totally on brand for Hezekiah. and then he asks, "Is it not so, if there shall be peace and truth in my days?"
And then, abruptly, the author brings Hezekiah's story to a close in verse 20-21. It mentions the pool and conduits without details, notes his death, and succession by his son, Manasseh.
There's a lot I could guess about; but for today, my unconventional observation here is that God not only allows discretion, but requires it. Sometimes I'm not sure how honest I'm suppose to be. I get that I'm not suppose to tell a lie. And I get that there are lies of omission, but I'm not clear on where the line is sometimes. This tells me that God does expect wisdom and discretion in what we share about the treasures He has given us to steward. It might not be palace full of gold and other valuables; but He has given me gifts and I am expected to protect them.
Wiersbe makes a couple of other interesting points.
First, another aspect of Hezekiah's sin was that he seemed to be showing off. While this goes hand in hand with pride, it goes even further in wanting admiration for things that Hezekiah hadn't earned. Those treasures all came from God. That's who Hezekiah should have been showing off to these strangers. Tell them about the Lord. Boast alone in Christ crucified.
Second, Wiersbe reminds us that Isaiah had a prophetic understanding of Babylon. While the current people feared Assyria, Isaiah knew that a century later it would be Babylon who showed up to haul everything away.
Chapter 21
Manasseh
7.31.24
So, that was the end of Hezekiah's widely dispersed story in the chronological flow. The reading guide includes this chapter with the last one, even thought this goes on to Manasseh and the return of bad kings. Maybe together they show the reasons for the coming captivity.
Verse 1 opens with Manasseh becoming king at 12 years old and reigning 55 years.
I don't think I've ever done this, but I am going to quote the Ryrie footnote.
Though he had the advantage of a godly father with whom he reigned as co-regent for 10 years, Manasseh was Judah's worst and longest reigning king.
Ryrie Study Bible NASB95, footnote, page 589
The MacArthur Commentary also notes a 10 year co-regent with Hezekiah and also calls him the worst king in Judah's history.
That's a pretty strong indictment, especially considering some pretty terrible Judean kings. Nothing like the terrible kings from the northern tribe of Israel...but working hard to compete. especially considering he had 10 years of actual ruling with his father.
Verse 2 goes on to provide evidence of this indictment. Manasseh did evil in the sight of the Lord along the lines of the evil done by those God kicked out of the Promise Land, making it available for the Hebrews.
- rebuilt the high places (v. 3)
- erected altars for Baal and Asherah, as Ahab had done (v. 3)
- worshiped all of the host of heaven (v. 3) (angel and demon worship?) (MacArthur notes that this means worshiping the sun, moon, and stars. Which makes sense and makes me look silly.) 🙂
- built altars IN the house of the Lord (v. 4)
- built altars to the hosts of heaven in the court outside the house of the Lord (v. 5)
- sacrificed a son in the fire (v. 6)
- practiced witchcraft, divination, mediums, spiritualists (v. 6)
- did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking Him to anger. (v. 6)
- placed the carved Asherah in the temple where God's put His NAME. (v. 7) (His name is His character. Who He is. And Manasseh drops a carving next to as if they are equals!)
Pretty interesting that he followed the ways of Ahab (a king of Israel) and those who previously lived in the Promise Land; but not his father, who had torn down the high places and tried to cleanse Judah of these terrible practices. Why? Is that a reflection on Hezekiah for focusing on being a king more than a father, as I accused Solomon of; or are there just bad seeds that will be bad, no matter what a father does?
This man was KING. He lived in a palace with servants and all of the best to be offered in that time and place, and yet he resorted to worshiping everything under the sun, and then witchcraft, divination, mediums, and spiritualists. He wanted more power. Or he wanted something.
He wanted.
Letting ourselves WANT undisciplined and unfettered leads to sin. Maybe not altars in the temple and court type sin; but only because we don't all get the power and access to sin that big. We build our altars in our houses and in our families, and in our hearts- which come to think about it, is building altars in God's new temple.
That's me sometimes. All of us, really; but for sure me.
I want.
There are things I think I deserve. things that seem only fair and right and good for me to have. Even though God hasn't provided them, I want them anyway. Allowing myself to focus on the want, instead of focusing on the Lord, leads to sin. Maybe it's a direct sin, sometimes, trying to get for myself what the Lord hasn't offered. And sometimes, maybe it is a passive aggressive sin, where I make other bad choices to sooth my anger and sadness at not getting what I WANT.
Devastating. Destructive. Toxic. Poisonous. Sinful. WANT.
There is a cure. One Manasseh could have accessed in his day and I can access in mine.
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Romans 6:6, ESV
Die to self.
Because self is who WANTS.
7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:7-11, ESV
No, Manasseh did not have Jesus. It would have been harder for him. But he had a royal priesthood to guide him and he had to write the law in full by hand before he became king. He knew he had God to help in his time of need; but he chose WANT. And because WANT is the enemy of our hearts, he poisoned him and led him down a path to his own destruction. As WANT is wont to do.
But God.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6: 12-14, ESV
There's the cure. Present yourself to God. Then, no longer under the law, but grace, you will have the Helper, the holy Spirit. And you'll still want this side of heaven; but now you have the help you need.
Back to the text.
Verse 8 is a reminder from God that His promise to save them from wandering forever was predicated on their observance of His commandments and the laws of Moses. Verse 9 points out that they did not listen. Not only did they not listen, Manasseh led them to do more evil than the nations God destroyed to make room for the Hebrews.
Wow.
I actually cannot fathom how much evil that would include. The previous nations did unspeakable things. And Manasseh led the people of Israel to do even worse? Yikes. Yikes. And I mean...Yikes!
The Olympics just started and in the opening ceremonies they had a crew of drag queens ad other performers act out a blasphemous and disgusting scene- designed to illicit outrage in Christians- as it specifically was designed to mock Christ. And outraged we were. I bring this up because it shows what has become normalized these days. We are not far off from the choices made by those under Manasseh. And for many in the world and in our country, I think they are running dead even with them- with child victims being the prime evidence against them. God will not be mocked. His longsuffering will not last forever.
In Manasseh's time, when the Lord's long suffering ran out, He sent prophets (plural) with a message:
- He starts with the reason: because of Manasseh's wickedness being even greater than the Amorites, and because Manasseh made Judah sin (v. 11)
- ear-tingling calamity will come on Judah and Jerusalem. (v. 12)
- Jerusalem will now be judged by the same standard as Samaria and Ahab (v. 13)
- Jerusalem will be wiped like dirty dish. Turned over and wiped clean. (v. 13)
- Even the remnant will become plunder for the enemy. (v. 14) (That is a very big deal. Judah was the last of His people.)
He closes the message from the prophets by reiterating that they had been doing evil in His sight all the way back to Egypt and up to that day. Manasseh shed so much innocent blood, it covered Jerusalem and caused his people to sin.
The Ryrie footnote on verse 16 says that tradition holds that Manasseh had Isaiah killed.
And then that's it. Story over. Verses 17 and 18 close out the life of Manasseh in the standard way-his acts and sins are detailed in the chronicles, he died and was buried in his own garden (not with his fathers), and Amon, his son, became king. I think we get more details in II Chronicles.
Amon
Well...that's a tough act to follow. Let's see how Amon does.
Amon was 22 years old when he became king and reigned two years. Uh-oh. Not a good sign.
He did evil in the sight of the Lord as Manasseh taught him. He walk as Manasseh had and and served and worshiped idols as Manasseh did. Needless to say, He did not follow the Lord.
As a result, his servants conspired against him and killed him in his own house.
Then the people killed the conspirators and made Josiah, his son, king in his place.
And that's it for Amon. Buried in the same garden as his father and then his story is done.
He could have done as Josiah did, and go back to the ways of Hezekiah; but his father's influence was too much apparently.
It looks like I'll read the complimentary stories in II Chronicles, and then the book of Nahum, and then I get to read the pallet-cleansing story of Josiah.
To God be the glory, whoever is on the throne- we know He is on THE Throne. Amen.